Baseball is right around the corner

Published: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 8:34 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 8:34 p.m.

SARASOTA

The sprint from Super Bowl to spring training is approaching the tape, the gap shortened this year by the World Baseball Classic.

In literally hours, pitchers and catchers from the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates officially convene around the area, a sure sign our 70-degree winter days soon will be behind us.

Spring doesn’t signify everything new. As much as it desperately wishes, baseball seemingly can’t escape the performance-enhancement cloud that settled over its 2012 season and beyond.

Suspected juicer Ryan Braun got off, Melky Cabrera did not. As a rebuke of players from the steroid era, the Hall of Fame went empty.

The Miami New Times broke the story of a shady strip-mall company called Biogenesis and its purported “syringe-training’’ with star players, among them Alex Rodriguez and Nelson Cruz.

Had enough? Count on some MLB jug-head getting pinched for HGH use as random and anonymous in-season blood testing becomes the norm.

Bats, balls, needles and the damage done. But it’s super resilient, our pastime is, as our three area teams will have to be this season.

The expression of not being able to tell the players without a scorecard really won’t hold true for the Tampa Bay Rays this season.

They’ve got a new shortstop in Yunel Escobar, a new first baseman in James Loney, and may or may not have a new outfielder in Wil Myers, his spot on the 25-man roster yet to be determined.

But mostly, the Rays are going to be the Rays, meaning a reliance on pitching, defense and manager Joe Maddon’s deft juggling of the lineup.

Who’s going to drive in runs? Good question. The Rays, 12th in the AL last season in runs scored, really didn’t address the departure of B.J. Upton and his 28 home runs and 78 RBI.

They re-signed Luke Scott with the belief he just has to be better this season over last. And let’s say right now that Evan Longoria must stay healthy and produce like a guy who just signed a $100 million contract extension.

That the Rays didn’t reach the playoffs last season after making them the previous two could be attributed to the wonderful season of Buck Showalter’s Baltimore Orioles.

The O’s won 93 games, finished second in the AL East and made the postseason for the first time in 15 years. They went 29-9 in one-run games and 16-2 in extra innings, a remarkable accomplishment and one not likely to be repeated.

Good fortune will have to manifest itself again, in some fashion.

Except for the re-signing of outfielder Nate McLouth, Baltimore did little to bolster itself in the offseason.

They’ll have Manny Machado at third, Chris Davis at first, a healthy Nick Markakis in right, and a bullpen that won’t suffer from inactivity.

The Pittsburgh Pirates faded later last season than they did in 2011. They have a 20-year run of playoff absences, but the effort to end that streak appears determined.

<p>SARASOTA</p><p>The sprint from Super Bowl to spring training is approaching the tape, the gap shortened this year by the World Baseball Classic.</p><p>In literally hours, pitchers and catchers from the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates officially convene around the area, a sure sign our 70-degree winter days soon will be behind us.</p><p>In a region obsessed with football, we're forced to alter our seasonal verbiage — halfback becomes brushback, ground game becomes ground ball, split-end becomes split-finger, receiver becomes catcher.</p><p>But PEDs stay exactly that.</p><p>Spring doesn't signify everything new. As much as it desperately wishes, baseball seemingly can't escape the performance-enhancement cloud that settled over its 2012 season and beyond.</p><p>Suspected juicer Ryan Braun got off, Melky Cabrera did not. As a rebuke of players from the steroid era, the Hall of Fame went empty.</p><p>The Miami New Times broke the story of a shady strip-mall company called Biogenesis and its purported “syringe-training'' with star players, among them Alex Rodriguez and Nelson Cruz.</p><p>Had enough? Count on some MLB jug-head getting pinched for HGH use as random and anonymous in-season blood testing becomes the norm.</p><p>Bats, balls, needles and the damage done. But it's super resilient, our pastime is, as our three area teams will have to be this season.</p><p>The expression of not being able to tell the players without a scorecard really won't hold true for the Tampa Bay Rays this season.</p><p>They've got a new shortstop in Yunel Escobar, a new first baseman in James Loney, and may or may not have a new outfielder in Wil Myers, his spot on the 25-man roster yet to be determined.</p><p>But mostly, the Rays are going to be the Rays, meaning a reliance on pitching, defense and manager Joe Maddon's deft juggling of the lineup.</p><p>Who's going to drive in runs? Good question. The Rays, 12th in the AL last season in runs scored, really didn't address the departure of B.J. Upton and his 28 home runs and 78 RBI.</p><p>They re-signed Luke Scott with the belief he just has to be better this season over last. And let's say right now that Evan Longoria must stay healthy and produce like a guy who just signed a $100 million contract extension.</p><p>That the Rays didn't reach the playoffs last season after making them the previous two could be attributed to the wonderful season of Buck Showalter's Baltimore Orioles.</p><p>The O's won 93 games, finished second in the AL East and made the postseason for the first time in 15 years. They went 29-9 in one-run games and 16-2 in extra innings, a remarkable accomplishment and one not likely to be repeated.</p><p>Good fortune will have to manifest itself again, in some fashion. </p><p>Except for the re-signing of outfielder Nate McLouth, Baltimore did little to bolster itself in the offseason.</p><p>They'll have Manny Machado at third, Chris Davis at first, a healthy Nick Markakis in right, and a bullpen that won't suffer from inactivity.</p><p>The Pittsburgh Pirates faded later last season than they did in 2011. They have a 20-year run of playoff absences, but the effort to end that streak appears determined.</p><p>The Pirates in the offseason added Francisco Liriano, Mark Melancon and Russell Martin, balancing somewhat the departures of starter Kevin Correia and closer Joel Hanrahan.</p><p>In center they still have the dynamic Andrew McCutchen, who hit 31 homers last season, drove in 96 and batted .327. </p><p>Still have Garrett Jones at first, Neil Walker at second, Pedro Alvarez at third.</p><p>Soon, they'll all be playing in our tri-county backyard.</p>